Do tampons have a best before date??

[Millie1]

Found quite a few boxes, maybe 2-3 years old, whilst spring cleaning - are they safe to use or should I dump them? I know it's a strange question but have a mental vision of them disintegrating!! TIA

[bran]

I think they're ok as they are sterile when they're packed. So long as they wrapping is intact and they haven't become damp they should be fine. If you're worried then open one and sniff it, if there's any contamination with mould you ought to be able to smell it.

[hunkermunker]

Tampons aren't sterile when they're packed, I don't think. Just "look" sterile because they're bleached cotton.

[bundle]

(how long before someone mentions mooncups?? )

[Millie1]

Thanks - I'll e-mail them. Mooncups ... okay, I'll ask - aren't they uncomfortable to use?

[bran]

They aren't sterile? Yeuch.

[whatsername]

Ooooh, I'll do the mooncup lecture if you want...

[mammya]

I just started using my mooncup today and I love it! No more tampons for me, yippie!
And no, it doesn't hurt at all, in fact I can't feel it, much more comfortable than an tampon IMO.

[mammya]

[hazlinh]

er whats a mooncup?

and i'm glad u started this thread millie1 i have two boxes of em about 3 years old in my medicine cabinet!!!didnt know what to do with em
lol

[fuzzywuzzy]

mooncup

[hazlinh]

eek!!

they look scary....
lol...

[flamesparrow]

Awww, I was about to come do the mooncup lecture.

Beaten to it....

[Mud]

I'm sorry - but sterile

PMSL - how sterile is a penis FGS

[Twiglett]

"how sterile is a penis" ROFLMAO

That's a fabulous line

[happymerryberries]

Tampons and applicators don't have to be sterile, neither to applicators for vaginal creams etc (used to work for a company that manufactured the latter). Mud is quite right, penises arn't sterile and the vagina is perpous built for coping with them! has it's own wonderful ways of coping with a wide range of normal bacteria etc

[northerner]

PMSL at the thought of a sterile penis

[Bozza]

According to my GP "the vagina is not a sterile environment" (obviously) so they don't bother about making sure everything is sterile when they insert a coil. Assume the coil is because thats going beyond the vagina but don't know.

As for the tampons - I would definitely use them with no second thoughts.

[bran]

So are you saying that it's not necessary for dh to wipe his private bits down with surgical spirit before sex? If not, what will we do for foreplay?

[happymerryberries]

You mean you don't get him to scald his bits with boiling water, just to be sure???

[Fio2]

bran

[bran]

Well he only has to do that if it's going anywhere near my mouth HMB, as I don't like the taste of surgical spirit.

[happymerryberries]

Couldn't you get him to dip his dong in a nice strong G & T????

[iota]

what about putting them in Milton sterilising fluid?

[bran]

I think this is much more info than Millie1 wanted when she first posted . (Good G&T idea HMB, but how horrible does Milton taste Iota?)